1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method and an apparatus for using contents of a wireless terminal in a home network system, and more particularly, to a method and an apparatus for using contents of a wireless terminal in a home network system that stably uses an Internet Protocol TeleVision (IPTV) service usable in the home network through the wireless terminal, while the wireless terminal is outside the home network, without the degradation of the service.
2. Description of the Related Art
Due to the increased distribution of home networks, existing network environments that are primarily based on Personal Computers (PCs) in homes have been extended to include home appliances that use various low-level network technologies. Accordingly, Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) technology has been proposed to accommodate the necessity of techniques capable of networking these home appliances by using an IP protocol according to a standardized method. UPnP is a universal-purpose standardized protocol by which network devices of the home network can cooperate with each other. UPnP consists of a Controlled Device (CD), which is a device that is connected to and controlled by an IP-based home network, and a Control Point (CP) for controlling the CD.
Hereinafter, a configuration of UPnP device architecture 1.0 standard will be described with reference to FIG. 1.
The UPnP device architecture 1.0 standard shown in FIG. 1 enables home appliances in a home network system to perform peer-to-peer networking without centralized management.
Generally, in a home network middleware, an UPnP device performs a service by performing various actions and setting state variables, and a control point may use the service after an automatic discovery of the UPnP device.
A UPnP device according to the UPnP device architecture 1.0 standard is searched in a distribution and open networking mode using IP multicast in a home network system. However, achievement of a current IP multicast service is within an Internet available range cannot be ensured. Accordingly, it is difficult to reliably control a UPnP device using information obtained by searching the UPnP device when using the Internet to control the device.
Therefore, when the UPnP device or the control point is physically distant from a home network, a UPnP remote access architecture is proposed in order to operate the UPnP device or control point as if it is physically located in the same network. The UPnP remote access architecture includes a Remote Access Server (RAS) 105 located in the home network and a Remote Access Client (RAC) 109 located in a remote network. After profile matching is achieved between the RAS 105 and the RAC 109, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) 107 is setup for a remote access therebetween. The RAC 109 accesses content stored in a device in a home as if the RAC 109 existed in the home. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the RAS 105 is connected to a home contents storage device 101 through a UPnP 103.
FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram illustrating a method for accessing a conventional UPnP remote access service using an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network.
Referring to FIG. 2, a wireless terminal 100 located in a remote network accesses a home network to receive a home service. To this end, the wireless terminal 100 transmits a remote access request message for remote access to a gateway (or a home gateway) 300 having a remote access server in the home network by using an SIP protocol, in step 220. The home gateway 300 transmits, to the wireless terminal 100, a response message as a reply to the remote access request message, in step 230. A communication path for remote access defined in the UPnP is setup between the wireless terminal 100 and the home gateway 300, in step 240. The communication path can be setup using Virtual Private Network (VPN). Hereinafter, it is assumed that the communication path is the VPN.
The wireless terminal 100 directly accesses a home contents storage device 400 having home contents using the VPN connected at step 240, and sends a request for a contents list and corresponding additional information (contents selection UPnP Content Directory Service (CDS)), in step 250. Accordingly, in step 260, the home contents storage device 400 transmits the contents list and corresponding additional information requested from by wireless terminal 100 at step 250. Then, the wireless terminal 100 transmits an UPnP action to the home contents storage device 400 so that a user may select and plays contents, in step 270. The home contents storage device 400 transmits contents selected at step 270 to the wireless terminal 100, in step 280.
However, in the above typical procedure, when the wireless terminal 100 receives the home contents through the remote access, a VPN is setup between the wireless terminal 100 and the home gateway 300 before the user selects contents. Accordingly, when the wireless terminal 100 attempts to receive contents that have a greater bandwidth than that a bandwidth of the setup VPN, a degradation of Quality of Service (QoS) can occur.